The Future of Supported Housing project: learning from lived experience

The experience and perspectives of residents are fundamental to ensuring our recommendations for the future of supported housing mean that more people can access the right home, in the right place, with the right support to live well and independently.

We will work alongside people with lived experience of supported housing to understand where the system is and isn't working. Together, we will co-produce recommendations rooted in the lived experience of supported housing to build a strong case for change.

To support this work, we reviewed the existing literature from the perspective of people with lived experience of supported housing, to understand the experiences and challenges they have already shared. This allows us to build on the diverse range of lived experience available, while enabling our engagement with residents to focus more closely on co-producing recommendations for the future of supported housing.

In this blog, we'll cover the key findings from the literature review on what is and isn't working within supported housing, as well as the impact on those unable to access the support they desperately need.

Lesson one: the value of meaningful activity

Across the various groups that access support, people consistently valued care and support that helped them feel seen as individuals.

One of the ways people thought supported housing did this well was through meaningful activities that reflect their own interests and aspirations. This included learning and training opportunities, which can inspire a sense of pride and purpose, as well as enjoyable activities that can support wellbeing.

However, often due to funding constraints, access to these activities can vary by group or provider. We should therefore consider how to fund support flexibly, to enable people to take part in activities that help build confidence, independence and wellbeing.

Lesson two: the importance of resident voice

The strongest and most consistent call from people in the literature was for greater control over their care and support.

Many of the challenges identified in the review, such as difficulties accessing the appropriate housing or support, were linked to a 'one-size-fits-all' approach that left people feeling like they hadn't been listened to.

This challenge is also reflected in an important gap we observed in the literature: many solutions are not resident-led, but developed by researchers, providers and representative organisations.

Our project aims to address this. By working directly with people who have experienced the system, we want to ensure that our recommendations for the future of supported housing are rooted in their knowledge, priorities and ideas for change.

Lesson three: the human cost of being unable to access support

The impact of being unable to access support on those who need it, and their families, is devastating.

Approximately 3.6 million people are in need of support but are not currently receiving it. This is closely linked to the loss of many supported housing and floating support schemes since the removal of the Supporting People ringfence in 2009/10.

In the real world, that means people are suffering serious, long-term harm in unsafe and unsuitable conditions that can be traumatic for people and their families. Several studies also found that people may choose to return to prison or rough sleeping because of poor conditions and a lack of support.

We need long-term solutions to ensure that everybody who needs support can access it. This will be the focus of our work, to help design a system that provides a safe, supported home before people reach crisis point or suffer further harm.

Next steps

Building on this existing evidence, and to ensure our recommendations for the future of supported housing are rooted in the lived experience of residents, we are working with With the People, a lived experience consultancy, to establish a Co-production Panel. The panel will be supported to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives alongside professionals from housing organisations. They will also have the opportunity to review the evidence and insights gathered, together with their own experiences. This will shape the findings and recommendations of the Future of Supported Housing project, so they reflect what people actually want and need.